Protecting Those That You Love Night

Tonight's marathon revolves around the theme of a man protecting the girl that he ultimately ends up falling in love with or is in love with. These male figures range from a regular police officer to a bodyguard, a member of the Rebel Alliance, and a loving boyfriend turned Ghost. The female characters range from an Amish woman to a singer, a princess of the New Republic, and the woman who the boyfriend turned Ghost is deeply in love with. We cover the story arcs of all these amazing characters and their journeys to protecting these people while in the process falling in love with them.
We have on our menu for this evening:

        Witness 1985, The Bodyguard 1992, Empire Strikes Back 1980, and Ghost 1990

Here we have an all star cast among the likes of Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen, Whitney Houston, Kevin Costner, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz,  Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn, and Whoopi Goldberg. The first movie up to bat in this incredible marathon is Harrison Ford's 1985 thriller titled Witness. Nominated for 8 academy awards and winner of two, Witness focuses on a young Amish boy who ends up being a sole witness to a murder, forcing policeman John Book played by Harrison Ford to go into hiding in the Amish community to protect him and his mother until the trial begins. The twist here is while doing so, the policeman and the boys mother begin developing feelings for each other, while also understanding what they both share is forbidden love as he is a policeman and she is an Amish girl. In order for their love to work, one has to abandon the world they once knew and go over to the other side entirely. To date, this remains the only film that garnered Harrison Ford a well deserved Oscar nomination for his dramatic performance as John Book. This film compliments the film that comes next with the 1992 romantic thriller/drama The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Nominated for two academy awards for best songs including the hit singles I will Always Love You, and I have Nothing sung by Houston, the film centers around a secret service agent being hired to take the job as a bodyguard for a stern pop singer, and comes to find that her lifestyle is most different from a Presidents. Their egos clash as they both fight for control of the situation but while doing so, also begin to experience feelings that are manifestations of true romance. Costner's character is conflicted with falling for this woman he's assigned to protect and acting on his feelings, but also remembering that he was hired to be a bodyguard and can't protect her under those circumstances. To date, this film remains the most successful movie of Kevin Costner's and Whitney Houston's careers, as well as one of the biggest romantic blockbusters of all time. The third film in the marathon compliments the ego clashing romance of The Bodyguard with the romantic subplot of Han Solo and Princess Leia in Empire Strikes Back. Taking place three years after A New Hope, the rebels become brutally overpowered by the Empire in the newly established base. Luke Skywalker played by Mark Hamill, takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends Han Solo, Princess Leia, C3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca are on the run from Darth Vader, whose become obsessed with capturing Skywalker. Han Solo's character inherits the traits of a bodyguard and heroic figure by returning to the base to escort Princess Leia to safety. Their whole relationship consists of Han Solo being frustrated that Leia won't admit her true feelings for him, and Leia slowly coming to terms with the realization that she is in denial about her true feelings towards a "scoundrel." Nominated for four academy awards including best visual effects and music, Empire Strikes Back remains one of the greatest movies ever made and one of the best sequels ever conceived. The fourth and final film of the night brings it all together while putting a spin on the whole theme with Patrick Swayze's 1990 romantic drama Ghost. This time Patrick Swayze plays a guy named Sam whose killed during an attempted mugging, and remains on Earth as a Ghost in order to protect the woman that he loves Molly, played by Demi Moore from a similar fate. Nominated for 5 academy awards and winner of two, Ghost remains one of the defining love stories in the history of cinema, as well as one of the biggest blockbusters.

So what are these movies all trying to say? Witness says that in order for two people of different cultures come together, one has to abandon their past live and embrace the new one. The Bodyguard says that true love cannot exist without both people putting their shields down and meeting halfway on things. Empire Strikes Back's message from the Han and Leia standpoint is to always admit your true feelings for someome before it's too late. The message of Ghost is that the love inside is so strong that it can never be destroyed nor go away, especially if the other person is in danger. Love conquers all.

Here are our main characters for this evening: